Sohma
by MakeAJoyfulNoise
Summary: There is more to being a family than name and blood. A maid and her two daughters live within the Sohma household, never being accepted. They watch the events unfold that break the mysterious curse, and struggle with the ones they should call family.
1. Chapter 1

The Sohma household was quiet, the winter's unrelenting cold seeming to seep in through its walls. Akito was sprawled out on his bed, drifting in and out of sleep. The constant buzz of the heater beside him was beginning to grate on his nerves, but shutting it off was out of the question. He had broken one the day before in a fit of rage, and had to spend the rest of the day in shivering cold. 'Hatori must have been trying to teach me a lesson…' he thought bitterly.

Hearing footsteps coming down the hall he scowled, hoping they would pass by his door, though he knew they wouldn't; there was no other reason to be down this far except to see him. As the door slid open, he remained still, feigning sleep. Someone shuffled in and gently closed the door. Akito could feel eyes upon him, checking to see if he slept and it made his blood boil. Everything was irritating him today. 'Must be this damned cold,' he thought, lying to himself.

After a long silence, the person began shuffling around the room and started to clean. Gritting his teeth, Akito curled his fingers into a fist; couldn't they see he was resting? It would be proper to leave and come back later! For several minutes he listened with growing annoyance to the sounds of their shuffling, picking up his clothes, moving items on shelves, and even their breathing. Whoever they were was breathing very loudly, which made him want to squeeze their throat until they turned blue. Combined with the consistent hiss of his heater, it drove Akito to the edge; if one more sound entered his ears, he was going to explode.

Unfortunately for the nervous young maid, as she reached down to pick up a discarded robe, the book she had in her arms fell with a loud thud onto the floor. Hands hovering above the cloth, she began to tremble. Before she could even look up, Akito was upon her, screaming and yanking at her hair. Everything she had picked up off the floor tumbled out of her arms as she frantically tried to free herself from her master's tight grip.

"You clumsy oaf! You rude and ungrateful wench, couldn't you see I was asleep? How dare you stomp about here like you own the place? This is my room, not yours, and still you drop all of my things as you did not care! What sort of help are you?"

Sobbing, she tried to pry Akito's fingers from her hair, but couldn't; for being so sickly, he was quite strong. "I-I'm sorry…! It…it won't happen again!"

The door flew open, the screams and sobs being heard almost immediately by Hatori, who had been making his usual rounds, "Let her go, Akito!" He moved quickly to them, but unbridled anger made the head of the household blind to all else except the poor, weeping girl before him. Snarling he pulled her up to his face, causing her to scream and scratch at his hands fiercely. Yelping, he released her, holding his bleeding hand to his chest as she scrambled away. Before Akito could lunge at her again, Hatori moved in front of him. "That's enough, let her go."

She threw open the door and stumbled out, not bothering to close it behind her. Anger still festering in his blood, Akito glared at Hatori, "She is the one at fault, not me! I was trying to rest when that loud, cow stomped in here! My health is more important than any petty job she was asked to do! And she didn't even do a good job. Look at everything laying on the floor? It was cleaner before ever set foot in here!" Cradling his hand, he shook his head, "And look at what she did to me, ME! Whoever she is, I want her fired…banned from the household!"

Sighing, Hatori listened and nodded, though he figured they wouldn't need to banish the girl to keep her away from this place, same as the last two maids who had been unlucky to cross Akito's path in the last week. As Akito's voice quieted and his breath began to slow, the doctor gazed down at the younger Sohma. "…this is about Yuki, isn't it?"

Bristling, Akito's eyes darkened, "He should know better than to wander from my side! Why would he want to live with Shigure? I refused him, but he wouldn't budge!" Whirling around, he kicked one the robes the girl had dropped with a wordless yell.

"He would have left even if I hadn't agreed, so I had to give in! The sneak! The..the _rat_!" Yelling again, he kicked his futon, knocking over the heater. Breathing heavily, he made fists, blood dripping down his hand. Carefully, Hatori moved closer, saying gently, "Let me look at you hand…we need to get it bandaged up." Though he was still upset, Akito nodded, silently following him to his office.

With a deep sigh, Diana sunk into her chair and stretched out her feet. It had been a long day. Rubbing her eyes she listened to the video game her daughter was playing; loud, violent, and totally foreign. Why did a teenage girl want to play something like that? Shouldn't she be interested in boys and make up? Squinting at the screen she tried to figure out what was happening, but gave up quickly; maybe it was better not to know.

"Here, Mom," her eldest daughter handed her a cup of tea, having a bottle of water and a can of coke tucked under her arm. Smiling weakly, Diana nodded, "Thank you, Rimi." Settling back in her chair again, she watched Rimi plop down beside Ryoko, touching the cold soda to her bare leg. Letting out a yelp, Ryoko snatched the drink and smacked her sister's arm as she muttered a few curses. If she wasn't so tired, Diana might have scolded her. But as it was, she remained silent, watching Rimi laugh and how the offense was forgotten as they started discussing their game.

Smiling, she enjoyed the moment of serenity, despite the noise; it was heaven compared to what she had been forced to hear all day. The young maid rushing to her in tears, her hair in disarray had scared Diana. But not as much as the first maid had, and it took only a few disjointed words from the girl for her to realize what had happened. Again. It had not been serene in the least. 'But serving Master Akito rarely is…' she thought, her smile dropping. Sipping her tea, she wondered what was going to be done. She was the "spare" whenever this happened. Rubbing her right arm tenderly, she hoped she wouldn't have to do that any more. But if he kept firing, and attacking people based on his mood, there wouldn't be anyone left! 'And who knows how long he'll keep me on…'

Her mood changed, she watched her children play somberly. This house was granted to them by Akito's 'good will.' If she lost her job within the household, they would be on the streets. 'Sometimes I wonder if that wouldn't be better…' Stopping herself from going down that line of thought, she shifted in her chair.

"…we lost another maid today," she said finally, having to get the weight of worry off her chest. Rimi turned with a frown, "Another one? Why?" Eyes glued to the screen Ryoko answered, "Cuz' Akito is bat shiiiit…"

"Ryo…" Diana warned, though she had no energy to argue with her today. "Well he is," Ryoko shrugged. A short silence followed, filled with agreement. Still, Diana felt it was her duty to say, "It is rude to say such things. Especially about the Head of the Household." She really did want to believe that Akito was simply misunderstood and that through love and patience, maybe he would change. But the longer she worked for him and lived within the Sohma household, she found it harder to maintain that belief. Hearing nothing but horror stories about him and then witnessing his fits of rage for herself—even being a victim of them—had certainly tainted her view of the young master.

"Do you think you can get a new one?" Rimi's question brought her mother out of her thoughts, "…I'm sure we will. Though if we can keep her is another story." Taking a mouth full of tea she wondered what they would do; they might be able to get someone who did not know if Akito's reputation. But that seemed cruel.

Letting out a curse as her character died on screen, Ryoko put down her controller and looked at her mom with a grin, "Aw, hell, let me clean up after him! He won't be able to scare me off!" Diana's head snapped up, "Absolutely not!"

Her fierceness startled both girls, so she continued in a calmer tone, "He is…volatile and prone to violence when he is annoyed, angered, or upset—" "Tired, constipated, hungry, happy…" Ryoko interrupted, nudging her sister who laughed, until she met her mother's eyes. Choking on the sound, she took a swig of water.

"This isn't a joke, Ryoko; he has hurt people."

"Then why doesn't anyone do something about it? Just because he's the fuc-" her mother's eyes narrowed, "…just because he's the head of the house doesn't mean he's got immunity from the law. Why hasn't anyone gone to the police?" Diana shifted in her chair, her finger tracing the edge of her cup.

"…it just isn't how things are done around here. What happens within these walls, stays within these walls," seeing her youngest child's objection grow she quickly added, "You know how powerful the Sohma family is, Ryo. I'm sure someone has tried to go outside the family for help, but was unable to get it. No one, not even the police, would want to go against such a family," leaning back she stared into her cup, "There is a strong sense of loyalty to Akito, even when he does terrible things."

Ryoko snorted, "Well he has none from me! If I see him lay a hand on anyone, he'll regret it!" Crossing and uncrossing her arms, Ryoko added in a louder voice, "And if this family is handing out loyalty, then why haven't they extended some to us? We're Sohma's too aren't we? We're treated with politeness and nothing more! Didn't Dad grow up here? They should be visiting us instead of that damned demon!"

The look of pain that crossed her mother's face silenced Ryoko, though she continued to fume; why should the violent and cruel Akito have everyone bowing to his every demand when her own father, wonderful man that he was, had been treated with such indifference?

"…anyone else hungry? We have leftovers," Rimi's cheery voice seemed to sooth the other two, even if it was only on the surface. "Yeah, just make sure the rice is still good…I don't wanna get sick again," Ryoko grumbled, turning back to the television, her fingers smashing the buttons with extra ferocity.

Nodding with a smile to her daughter, Diana made to stand up. "No, I'll do it, Mom. I'll just stick them in the microwave," with a grin, Rimi stood and trotted into the kitchen.

Sitting back, Diana gazed at the screen, losing herself in the weird music and sounds coming from it. Maybe just for a little while, they could forget everything; Akito, her husband, the other Sohmas…they could just be in their own world where everything was right. But as she listened to her children's banter from the kitchen and living room, she knew it would only be a lie. This was their life now, and had been ever since her husband had died a year ago. And unless something changed, it would continue to be their life. Closing her eyes, Diana felt a tear slide down her cheek, before she drifted into an uneasy sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

"Yuki moved out today."

Diana looked up from the tea tray she was setting on the table. "..he did?" Akito was reclining on a stack on pillows she had set up for him, hands laying limply on the blanket he was under. Ever since firing the maid two days ago he had been calm and fairly compliant. It made Diana nervous.

"Yes. He moved in with Shigure…have you ever met him?" His voice was quiet and he glanced at her with little expression. Carefully arranging the china she replied, "A few times, sir." She remembered him being very friendly and a goofball. He appeared to be a favorite of Akito's and he had not been pleased when he moved out of the Sohma house. 'And now Yuki has followed him…'

"…he is an idiot. He has set a bad example for Yuki…" Akito turned to look at frost creeping up the window. "But he will come back. They both will, when they realize their mistake."

A chill went down Diana's back at Akito's tone; pouring the tea she changed the subject, "How is your hand, sir?" "In pain. Hatori put some cream on it but it just made it sting." Scowling he glared at his bandaged hand. "It will heal soon," she said with a smile, which faded as his glare was turned on her, "What do you know about it? You haven't seen it."

Dropping her eyes she spoke softly, "Forgive me, I simply assumed it wasn't a deep wound from what I had-"

"Shut up, I don't care anymore…your voice is giving me a headache," Shifting against the pillows he grumbled, "And you don't know how to arrange these…they're jabbing my back."

Holding in her urge to scold Akito about his manners, she stood to bring him a cup of hot tea. 'He's as old as Rimi…he should know better.' Handing him the cup, she watched him take a drink, relieved when he did not complain. 'Then again, with a mother like Ms. Ren…' She had not met the woman, but if what she knew enough from gossip were accurate, she would rather serve Akito then her.

"Why do you think, Yuki left?" Blinking, Diana realized he was staring up at her, a strange look on his face. She considered telling him what she guessed was the truth. But saying it was his violent and controlling habits that had driven his relative away did not seem smart. "I don't know, sir. I have not spoken with him enough to guess."

Her answer did not anger him, nor did it satisfy him. He looked outside. "I know him better than anyone else, and I do not know why either…" Though he sounded bitter, Diana detected shakiness to his voice. Watching him, she could see the worried and lonely child beneath the unpredictable terror he usually was. 'He doesn't understand at all why Yuki might have left…or doesn't want to understand.'

It was at these rare moments that Diana wanted to wrap Akito up in her arms and tell him it would be all right. Over the past two years she had seen the absolute worst of him and had come close to hating him a few times. Then she would witness moments like these when he revealed his vulnerabilities. But it did not change everything he had done, even if it made sympathy swell in Diana's heart.

Glancing back at his maid, Akito was disturbed by her expression; she occasionally looked at him like that, though he could never figure out why or what it meant. "…I'm tired. You can go."

"Yes, sir. Rest well. Would you like an extra blanket?" Waving her away, Akito did not answer, instead curling up under his comforter. Quietly she left, thankful that today had been uneventful. 'I hope it stays this way.'

And it did for the rest of the winter, though Diana began to see a change in him. He started carrying himself with a new sense of arrogance, as if he knew something no one else did. Though this evened out his temper a bit, Diana found herself growing uneasy in his presence. Something was going on and she was certain it was not good.

Walking back to her house on one of the last nights of winter, her mind was filled with questions about her young 'employer' if you could call him that. She dared not ask about his sudden change, not even to his doctor, Hatori; something in his eyes kept her silent.

Running a hand through her black hair, she suddenly felt exhausted. "…why does it even matter…?" This wasn't her family. Her daughter had been right; in the two years they had lived there, very little effort had been made to integrate them. Though they lived within the 'inner' wall, their house was on the very edge, and they always seemed to left out of the loop. Sometimes when she would walk by a group of women, they would stop talking. Her husband used to assure her it was just a matter of time before they would open their arms to them. But that had yet to happen, even after he had died. Sighing deeply, she blinked back tears. 'Maybe if Gen was still here…'

"Ms. Diana?" Turning, she was greeted by the young dojo owner, Kazuma. She had bumped into him occasionally at Akito's house, but was surprised he remembered her. Putting on a smile she waited for him to catch up to her, "Kazuma, it's good to see you…but what are you doing out so late?" Chuckling, he scratched his neck, "Looking for my son, actually…you haven't happened to see him have you?" Thinking a moment, she tried to remember what he looked like.

"…bright orange hair?"

"Indeed. All natural too."

"…about this tall?" she held up her hand a few inches above her head, causing Kazume to grin.

"Just about."

"An explosive temper?"

"So you have seen him!"

"No, but I am surprised how much he has in common with my daughter," grinning up at him, she was glad to see him laugh. It had been awhile since she made someone outside her children smile. "But really, I haven't seen him, at least not tonight. I'm sorry." Waving a hand, Kazuma shook his head, "It is alright. Kyo has a tendency to go into hiding when he is upset. He'll show up when he has calmed down." "Ah…I hope he turns up soon." "As do I."

After a long pause he asked, "…so are you heading home, Ms. Diana?" Nodding, she pointed down her street, "Yes, just at the end of that road. Hopefully both of my children will be there." Kazuma chuckled again, and Diana thought it pleasant.

"If you wouldn't mind, I will walk you to your home; I need the fresh air."

"I don't mind. It will be nice to have company for once." With a smile, they headed down the street, chatting about their children; the more Kazuma spoke of Kyo, she became shocked how much he really was like Ryoko. "I'd suggest having them meet, but I'm not sure if they'd get along or tear each other apart," she giggled, and Kazuma nodded with a broad smile. "We won't know until they meet, I suppose…" Diana nodded in agreement, wondering if she misheard the sadness in his voice. But the conversation quickly moved on and her worry was forgotten.

As they reached the house, Diana saw two pairs of curious eyes peering at her from the window. Waving at them, she bowed to Kazuma, "Thank you very much for walking me home. It made my day." And it really had; made her week actually. Straightening, she smiled, which Kazuma returned with great warmth. "It was a pleasure. You are very good company Ms. Diana." "You can call my Diana…since I've been calling you Kazuma," she said, a bit embarrassed at realizing how informal she had been. He chuckled kindly, "Very well. You have a good night, Diana. I am sure your daughters are wanting you inside."

"You too. And good luck finding your son."

"Yes…thank you very much," bowing, he smiled and turned back down the street. Making her way up to the door, Diana was not surprised to have it flung open as she reached for her keys.

Before her daughters could open their mouths to ask the questions that burned in their eyes, she stepped past them, "He was just walking me back to the house, darlings. We met on my way back, he is looking for his son, I barely know him, and I am not having secret rendezvous with him or anyone else. Those answer your questions?"

Ryoko and Rimi stared at her without a word for a moment. Clearing her throat Rimi, who was peeking from behind her sister, tossed her bangs to the side, "Uh, no. I was going to ask if you wanted the leftovers in the fridge, not about your handsome man friend."

"Suuure," Diana rolled her eyes with a small smile before heading into the kitchen. Ryoko was not nearly as cheery about the situation as her sister, stalking after her mother. Waiting for her to get out the leftovers, Ryoko eyed Diana, "…so who was he?" Glancing up at her, Diana replied, "He runs the dojo here; his name is Kazuma and he has a son your age named Kyo. I have met him a few times before, but I do not know him very well." Sticking the pre-made plate into the microwave she smiled at her daughter, "…it really was a coincidence, Ryo. I have no desire to date anyone…" trailing off, she looked away. 'And I don't know if I ever will…'

Knowing she had caused some sort of hurt within her, Ryoko's apprehension vanished and she wrapped her arms around Diana. "…sorry, Mom." Embracing her back, Diana smiled softly, "It's okay. I don't blame you…" Suddenly another pair of arms wrapped around the two of them and said, "And I forgive both of you for leaving me out of this group hug."

Ryoko shoved her sister away, "Get outta here, this is a special moment!" Diana laughed, even though she was caught in the middle as her girls struggled to hug her individually. Long after the microwave's high pitch beeping had stopped, the three of them were on the floor in a heap, tears of laughter rolling down their cheeks.


	3. Chapter 3

Stopping in front of the high school, Ryoko looked at her sister in exasperation, "Are you going to walk me to school everyday? I'm not a little kid." Rimi just smiled, tugging on Ryoko's ponytail, "I know you're not, but it's on my way to work and I get to spend more time with my lovely sister~!"

Pulling her hair free, she rolled her eyes. Heading up the walkway with the other students, she waved half-heartedly at Rimi, "Whatever. Have a good day." "No goodbye hug and kiss?" "Good bye, Rimi." "Good bye I looooove you!" "Love you too…dork."

Sticking her tongue out at her, Ryoko was glad Rimi hadn't taken her complaint seriously. It would be a lonely walk if her sister weren't there, annoying as she was sometimes. Glancing over her shoulder with a smile, she watched her disappear behind the gate. Facing forward, she almost ran into a trio of girls who seemed to be waiting for her. 'Prince Yuki fan club girls…here we go.'

"Good morning, Ryoko. How is your sister doing?" The middle girl did not try to hide her mocking tone. Gritting her teeth, Ryoko tried to get around them, "…she's fine."

The trio shifted, blocking her path, "Oh good, so she's not trying to seduce any more high school students?" The three laughed in unison, making Ryoko's eye twitch. Straightening up she smiled lightly, "Nope, especially since she never tried to in the first place. Now if you'll excuse me—" "Don't play dumb! We know she had her sights set on Prince Yuki last semester!" "Yeah, we saw it with our own eyes!" "Don't play dumb…dummy!"

They gave her a headache. When she had entered high school last semester, they had flocked to her, showering her with kindness and attention. It didn't take long for her to realize that their interest was not in her, but in her distant relation to 'Prince Yuki,' whom she had barely met. If her last name had been anything else, they would have ignored her, but of course it had to be Sohma; once she had revered it, but now it brought her only pain.

"And don't think you're innocent either, Ryoko! You obviously wanted him to yourself, and I still see you looking at him with big goo goo eyes!" Barking a laugh, Ryoko felt her patience slipping, "Goo goo eyes? I'm not even in his class! We hardly talk and I don't even know where his house is!" She almost mentioned that he had left the Sohma household, but stopped herself. Knowing something about Yuki that they did not was a good feeling. "Now if don't mind, I am going to be late to class. Ladies."

Shoving her way past them, she ignored their attempts at insulting her, though she would have liked nothing more than to wale on all of them. She had once, on another member of their club, and had been severely punished. They knew it, and assumed that meant she wouldn't do it to them, yet still jumped whenever she made sudden movements. It was satisfying.

Her temper cooling, she tried not to think of the time the girls had mentioned, back when she had almost become friends with her distant cousin. Instead she stopped to make sure she had all her homework. Schoolwork always helped get her mind off her worries. Math problems didn't lie to you; a book wasn't fickle; science experiments didn't try and control you. It was easy to lose herself in work like that.

"Ah, Miss Ryoko, there you are," before she looked up she knew who it was, and let out a bitter laugh. "Here I am," she replied, straightening up and swinging her arms out. Yuki stopped a few feet in front of her, and gave her a polite smile, which she returned, though hers looked like someone was forcefully stretching out her cheeks.

"It has been awhile, how have you been?" His voice was soft and he looked right at her as he spoke. It annoyed her, though she didn't really know why. "I'm fine. Just getting through school…" Nodding awkwardly, she glanced at the other students walking past. She was definitely going to hear from the fan club about this. "What about you? I heard you moved out of the Sohma house." He remained silent a moment before answering, "…yes. I moved in with my cousin, Shigure."

He did not give any explanation, but he didn't have to. Ryoko knew why he had left. If not for her mother and sister, she would leave too. "Good for you. I'm sure you'll do better outside of that place." The look of surprise on his face confused her, but not nearly as much as the warmth that shone from the smile that followed, "I hope so…thank you for saying so."

Feeling uncomfortable, she looked away, "So, were you looking for me or something? Because…" And just like that his polite mask dropped back over his face, giving her mixed feelings of relief and disappointment. "Oh, yes. The math teacher was looking for you. He wanted to talk about Math Club." "Ah…I'll go see him once I check in with my homeroom."

The silence that followed made Ryoko squirm. 'Why is he still standing there like that?' Frowning she crossed her arms, "…you okay, Yuki?" "How is your sister doing?" The questions overlapped each other, and it took a moment for them to figure out what the other had said. "Oh…yes, I am okay. Your sister…?" Shifting weight from leg to another, she looked out the window, wishing he had just left. "She's fine." Glancing at him, she saw him staring, waiting on her to expand upon that. 'Too bad, Prince. You don't always get your way.'

Adjusting her bag, she smiled apologetically, "I wish I could stay, but we're both going to be late for class if we don't head off now." He seemed disappointed, but nodded in agreement, "You're right. Perhaps another time." "Yeah…another time." Bowing slightly to him, she headed off.

She could feel him watching her leave, but when she looked back he was already walking away. Guilt welled up in her stomach, but she dismissed it. He had only walked home with her sister and herself a few times. They weren't friends, and were family in name only. His interest in them had brought nothing but trouble to Rimi and herself. 'Still…maybe I could have mentioned she got a new job…'

"Oh my God, Ryo, were you talking to Prince Yuki?" A large eyed girl popped her head out of the classroom. Her friend's sudden appearance made Ryoko jump. Pressing a hand to her chest she let out a breath, "Geez, Ami, warn a girl before you jump outta nowhere…" Giggling, Ami dragged her inside the class, "Sorry, but I just had to know! You were, weren't you? I heard he was looking for you, what did he want? Is he as gorgeous up close? What did he smell like?"

Waving her hand, Ryoko shook her head, "Slooow down. First, he was delivering a message from Mr. Kim; second, probably not; third, don't ever ask me that again about anyone ever." Ami pouted, "Aww…come on, Ryo. You're my only connection to him, the least you could do is give me _something_ to fantasize about!" Sighing, Ryoko wondered how they were friends. The only reason Ami wasn't apart of the 'Prince Yuki Fan Club' was because she didn't like how they treated Ryoko. She had been the only one to stand up for her, and Ryoko would never forget that. However, that did mean poor Ami was only able to release her Yuki obsession to her, which she never could get used to, "Okay, ummm…" Leaning in close, Ami's eyes got larger, reminding Ryoko of some terrifying dolls with large eyes in an attempt to make them cuter. "…he smelled kinda like strawberries, I guess."

"….I knew it," Ami whispered before clasping her friend's hands tightly. "You are my best friend ever. If he talks to you again, you better tell me!" Laughing, Ryoko patted her head, "Sure thing, creep." Before Ami could respond, the teacher walked in and they both hurried to their seats.

As soon as the bell rang for school to end, Ryoko rushed out the door with a quick wave to Ami. She wasn't afraid of the fan club, but they were a huge inconvenience and annoyance. If they had heard she was seen talking to Yuki—she didn't doubt they had—then they were going to be all over her. Beating most of the other students to the gate, she was out of breath when she reached her sister. "Aw, did you miss me that mu—" "Sh…shut up and…and move…"

Pushing Rimi towards their home, she glanced into the yard, hoping to escape the fan club members' ever-watchful eyes. Half way down the block, Rimi broke free from Ryoko's hands, huffing in annoyance. "Geez, pushy! What are you so anxious to escape from?" Having finally caught her breath, Ryoko changed the subject, "Nothing. How was work?" "It was good, nothing too exciting happened, just a couple of prank calls, which really weren't very good…"

The rest of walk home they chatted and joked, Ryoko forcing Yuki out of her mind. She didn't need to get her sister involved. If she knew, she would probably try and apologize or something stupid like that. 'As if she did anything wrong…' Reaching the house, Ryoko halfway listened to her sister talking about a joke she had heard that day. 'If anyone did something wrong…it was me…' The thought made her clench her fists.

"Ryo, you feeling alright?" "Huh? Oh…yeah just tired…" Stepping inside, she let her sister's ramblings wash over her, trying to leave all her troubles at her doorstep.

Yuki watched as Ryoko ushered her sister off the school grounds, looking back into the yard with a worried expression; he thought she might have seen him, but she disappeared before he could do anything. Standing amongst the crowd of students, he felt the heavy burden of loneliness. Glancing beside him, he saw a group of girls watching him but they became flustered and hurried away. With a sigh, he started making his way home.

Sliding open the door, he was greeted by his elder cousin's serenade echoing from down the hall, "Yuuuuuki~ my precious cousin is hooooooome~!" "Are you going to do that every time I come back from school?" "Only until it stops annoying yooooou~!" Groaning, he stepped out of his shoes and made his way up the stairs. He wasn't in the mood to deal with Shigure and his antics.

Closing the door to his room, he dropped his bag and fell onto his unmade bed with a grunt. Rolling over on his back, he stared at the ceiling; seeing Ryoko again had brought up memories of last semester…memories he wasn't sure he wanted anymore.

He knew what everyone had thought after seeing him walk to and from school with the sisters a couple of times. But he had been enjoying having real friends too much to realize how that might have affected them.

"_Just stay away from her! You are not good for her! Do you know what people are saying? Just…just don't talk to us anymore. We were doing just fine until you came along…Please…leave us alone."_

Ryoko's words hurt just as much now as they had when she spoke them. He tried to remember that she had been trying to protect her sister and had started crying even as she was yelling at him. "But didn't she know how much that hurt _me_," he muttered, pressing a hand over his eyes, "Maybe _I_ wasn't doing fine until I met _you_…"

Fighting back tears, he gulped down air and remained still. Though he complied with her wishes and left the two alone, he would often find excuses to walk past her class or to leave the building when she was to catch a glimpse of her sister. He knew it was creepy, and if Ryoko found out she would probably hit him. But he found it nearly impossible to let go.

"…how can I, when you were my first real friends…?" Dropping his hand from his eyes, he took a deep breath. Maybe this was his fate. He was a freak: a selfish, unlovable, freak that could never hope to have anything more than a polite acquaintance with someone outside the Zodiac.

"Yukkiiiii~ Dinner is ready!" Collecting himself, Yuki slowly sat up. Staring at his feet a moment, he smiled lightly, remembering his brief conversation with Ryoko. '…whatever my fate is, I am doing better out here…'

"Yuuuuukkkkkiiiii—" "I hear you, I am coming!" Standing up, he made his way down stairs, unsure if his mood was better or worse than when he had climbed up them.


End file.
